WFI : A group of Indian wrestlers, including Olympic medalists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, have threatened to throw their medals in the Ganges river in Haridwar if the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) does not remove its president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The wrestlers have been protesting against Singh for several months, alleging that he has been harassing them sexually and mentally. They have also accused him of corruption and mismanagement.
In a video message, the wrestlers said that they will visit Haridwar on Tuesday and throw their medals in the Ganges at 6 pm. They said that they will also sit on an indefinite hunger strike at India Gate in New Delhi.
“We have won medals for the country, but we are being harassed by the WFI president,” said Malik. “We are not getting our dues and we are being threatened with suspension. We have no other option but to throw our medals in the Ganges.”
Punia said that the wrestlers are not afraid of Singh. “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for our rights,” he said. “We will not back down until Singh is removed from the WFI.”
Going to Haridwar to throw our medals in Ganga,” say wrestlershttps://t.co/7otzDHPhfe
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The WFI has denied the allegations of sexual harassment and corruption. It has also said that it is willing to hold talks with the wrestlers.
It remains to be seen whether the wrestlers will go ahead with their threat to throw their medals in the Ganges. However, their protest has put the WFI under pressure and it is likely that the federation will have to take some action to address the wrestlers’ concerns.